Tuesday, 24 February 2015

For any new Mum it is an overwhelming experience, this coupled with the sudden unexpected news you are also going to become a carer for a disabled child and life can seem like a fragile existence.

At 38 I had quite a settled life, after 6 years of trying for a baby I had pretty much all but given up, throwing myself in to my work as a therapist and writer. When I finally got my head out of the toilet bowl after weeks of morning sickness I discovered that my rather severe response to the pregnancy hormones was as a result of carrying twins. I remember the moment vividly, after a night in hospital hooked up to a drip due to dehydration and constant vomiting, I lay on a bed as the woman scanned my belly and there they were, two little blobs of life. I burst in to tears with a mixture of joy and fear.

Friday, 30 January 2015

The audience members wear a 'blindfold', a symbol of darkness and ignorance, during an initiation ceremony held by the Dalai Lama in New York in 2013. Robert Nickelsberg/Getty

The Dalai Lama sat backstage at a theatre in Rome last month, waiting to come on as the star attraction at the Summit of Nobel Peace Prize winners. He was flanked by two of Italy’s most senior politicians. There was time for a little small talk. Walter Veltroni, former mayor of Rome and candidate for prime minister, asked him how he coped with jet lag. Deploying his familiar syntax-free English, the Buddhist leader replied, “Travelling the world – time difference – no problem.” Then he moved on to more intimate matters. “But bowel movement does not obey my mind. But this morning – thanks to your blessings – after 7 o’clock – full evacuation. So now I am very comfortable.”

Bowel movements apart, this final fixture of 2014 had been clogged with problems. The Nobel summit is held in a different city every year, and, for months, preparations had been under way to stage it in Cape Town, marking the first death anniversary of the most feted of all the laureates, Nelson Mandela. The Dalai Lama, with his vast global popularity, would be the star turn – but, as the date approached, it emerged that the South African government of Jacob Zuma would not grant the Tibetan a visa.

Should the show go on without him? Supporters of the exiled lama said no: how could an event intended to celebrate the courage of the Nobel peace laureates fall into line with the cowardly action of a government being squeezed by China? Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the Dalai Lama’s old friend and himself a laureate, fumed, “I am ashamed to call this lickspittle bunch my government”.

A new political party in the Tibetan diaspora, the Tibetan National Congress, took up the cause. “They swamped laureates with mails demanding the event’s cancellation,” said Dave Steward, executive director of South Africa’s FW de Klerk Foundation. Nine laureates and 11 affiliated organisations announced they were pulling out, forcing South Africa to concede defeat. At the 11th hour, however, Rome offered to host it instead.

Monday, 05 January 2015

In Pureland tradition there is an emphasis on receiving. We receive the grace of Amida. We do not have to do anything in order to receive this other than mentally turn toward the Buddha, which means to take refuge. Although this may be done by a verbal utterance which we call nembutsu, nembutsu can also be silent. Times of silence and solitude can be a wonderful blessing. They can be times when the spiritual forces in one's life rebalance themselves.

There is also an implicit emphasis in PL on the functioning of the unconscious. While much popular spirituality emphasises conscious and deliberate awareness and attention, the Buddhist sense of the mind is really much wider and deeper than this. In fact, any conscious act of the will or consciousness has to involve the ego and so casts a shadow. It must set up an equal and opposite reaction somewhere in the heart-mind. Healthy balance, therefore, requires times when these unconscious compensations can readjust.

In silence we arrive at a receptive place. We cannot control Amida or make the Buddhas bestow their merit but they are always happily doing so anyway. When we become quiet, "With our house all stilled" as John of the Cross says, then we become like a still pool in which the light of the moon can be fully reflected. There is no hamlet in the land into which such light does not shine, but much of the time we are so busy and disturbed that upon the surface of our life the reflection is all broken up. Silence enables us to appreciate the full beauty.

To modify Keats slightly, spiritual truth is beauty and spiritual beauty is truth - that is all you know on earth and all you need to know. The beauty that shines upon us is glorious and satisfying and even the tiniest pool can be a perfect mirror thereof.

Thursday, 20 November 2014

I was asked does Buddhism have a theory of truth and, if so, what is it? The quick answer is yes, it does, and Buddha knows.

Let's unpack this. Buddhism does teach that there is truth (tatva, tatha). This means that Buddhism is not a pure relativism. It does not say that each person's truth is entirely their own affair. It is possible to be wrong or mistaken and this has consequences. Being wrong about the truth is delusion or ignorance (avidya) and this is the root of all human folly. Buddhism teaches that we are all deluded in varying degrees. Buddhas are not deluded in relation to spiritual truth or ultimate truth, even though they might be deceived or ignorant in practical matters. Shakyamuni did not know how a telephone worked because they did not have them in his time, but this is not a knowledge that has relevance to the spiritual path. A Buddhist teacher should have insight into spiritual and absolute truth.

Introducing these terms shows us that the Buddhist theory of truth has levels. There is a two level theory deliniating relative truth and absolute truth and a three level theory in which there are two degrees of relative truth – mundane and spiritual. Corresponding to these levels are bodies (kaya) of Buddha.

Then, cutting across these classifications there is the question of being (asti) and emptiness (shunyata). Here there is controversy which could be taken to be purely linguistic but which does lead to a different framework for understanding. From one point of view, all is illusion, empty of substantial existence. Related to this is the idea that only the present moment exists and even that is evanescent. From the other point of view, everything exists, including the past, present and future, but these existances are contingent, which is to say, not fixed. Both perspectives agree that everything (whether real or merely apparent) depends on conditions.

Tuesday, 23 September 2014

Equanimity is a wonderful quality, a spaciousness and balance of heart. Although it grows naturally with our meditation practice, equanimity can also be cultivated in the same systematic way that we have used for loving-kindness and compassion. We can feel this possibility of balance in our hearts in the midst of life when we recognize that life is not in our control. We are a small part of a great dance. Even though we may cultivate a boundless compassion for others and strive to alleviate suffering in the world, there will still be many situations we are unable to affect. The well known serenity prayer says, “May I have the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” Wisdom recognizes that all beings are heir to their own karma, that they each act and receive the fruits of their actions. We can deeply love others and offer them assistance, but in the end they must learn for themselves, they must be the source of their own liberation. Equanimity combines an understanding mind together with a compassionate heart.

To cultivate equanimity, sit in a comfortable posture with your eyes closed. Bring a soft attention to your breath until your body and mind are calm. Then begin by reflecting on the benefit of a mind that has balance and equanimity. Sense what a gift it can be to bring a peaceful heart to the world around you. Let yourself feel an inner sense of balance and ease. Then begin repeating such phrases as, “May I be balance and at peace.” Acknowledge that all created things arise and pass away: joys, sorrows, pleasant evets, people, buildings, animals, nations, even whole civilizations. Let yourself rest in the midst of them. “May I learned to see the arising and passing of all nature with equanimity and balance. May I be open and balanced and peaceful.” Acknowledge that all beings are heirs to their own karma, and that their lives arise and pass away according to conditions and deeds created by them. “May I bring compassion and equanimity to the events of the world. May I find balance and equanimity and peace.”

Thursday, 18 September 2014

This is a time of change for me, both outer and inner - with a concommitant re-focussing and re-orientation of emphasis. There's much inner exploration and inner connection going on for me, and a further deepening and strengthening of my sense of vocation. Some of this is through inner volition but much is through Nyorai's Grace.

In some recent correspondence with a Christian friend, my attention was drawn to the Apostles Creed. There is nothing equivalent, as far as I am aware, in Pureland, but if there were it might go something like this...

Wednesday, 17 September 2014

Bodhicitta is available in moments of caring for things, when we clean our glasses or brush our hair. It's available in moments of appreciation, when we notice the blue sky or pause and listen to the rain. It is available in moments of gratitude, when we recall a kindness or recognize another person's courage. It is available in music and dance, in art, and in poetry. Whenever we let go of holding on to ourselves, and look at the world around us, whenever we connect with sorrow, whenever we connect with joy, whenever we drop our resentment and complaint, in those moments bodhicitta is here.

....the will toward mystery, the longing for deeper knowing, the draw toward the sacred heart, redefines life. A gradual upswelling of the still small voice within is heard. And sudden wordless understandings arise that nearly take our breath away.

Wednesday, 10 September 2014

A New Chapter for Amida UK September 10, 2014

I'm writing to you as chair of Amida Trust, to tell you about the exciting new developments and possibilities opening up for the UK Amida sangha in partnership with Amida Trust.

Most of you will know that the Trust owns a property in London - Sukhavati - which was left to the Trust by Christina Thompson in 1999, on condition that the building be used as a Dharma centre. Dharmavidya initially ran the centre as the Trust headquarters and UK Dharma Centre for a short while until the establishment of the Buddhist House in Narborough, whereupon Sukhavati became the London satellite for Amida Trust. It fulfilled that function very well for many years under the care of many Order members including Madrakara, Modgala, Sumaya, Jnanamati, Padma and lastly Andy Paice, our current housekeeper. Many people encountered Pureland Buddhism and Dharmavidya's teachings for the first time at Sukhavati, and some of these good people went on to become Order members themselves. Many others were touched by the teachings and became good friends of the Order and Trust. Modgala in particular developed a network of sympathetic friends and provided a place for people where they could find trust, faith and openness.

Thursday, 04 September 2014

A view of International Convention Centre in Rajgir, Bihar, where classes and activities of Nalanda University will run. (TOI photo by KM Sharma)

PATNA: Nalanda University in Bihar's Rajgir district started its first academic session on Monday, nearly 800 years after the ancient education institution was destroyed. Students attended four sessions on the first day, 9am to 1.30pm.

"The students had a chance to explore the neighbourhood during their three-day orientation programme earlier," vice-chancellor Gopa Sabharwal told TOI. The first batch of the university is being called the 'Nalanda Pioneers'.

Congratulatory messages poured in. Nobel laureate and NU chancellor Amartya Sen was the first to call and wish the students. Members of NU governing body, Wang Bangwei, Wang Gungwu, NK Singh, George Yeo and Anil Wadhwa, too, sent laudatory wishes to the students and faculty members. "Congratulations. Indeed a moment of great satisfaction," Singh's message read.